What could have been…

By: Jeremy | March 30th, 2008

Guiza..Arango…Guitierrez…Ibagaza..Navarro.. Those names combined with some other youngsters were ready to make this Mallorcas year. With Guiza coming on board to put goals in the net, this was the year Mallorcas fans were hoping for a return to Europe with maybe even a Champions League position not out of the question. Relegation? Forget it.

This was not an unrealistic expectation and I honestly had my team pegged for a top six finish and a euorpean spot for next year. Instead its been a year of ties and inconsistent performances that until two weeks ago, saw them in a serious relegation fight. For a team with this kind of talent to be in a real relegation battle with ten weeks left has caused many a fan like myself to have fits of frustration.

The team that went to the Mestalla today and absolutely embarrassed Koeman and his boys was the team I was looking for most of the year. They recorded their first win ever in the Mestalla and did so easily. To listen to home fans chant for Koeman to leave during the match shows not only how well Mallorca performed, but just how bad Valencia has been this year. Again its all about expectations and we need to have higher goals too. Maybe the result was because of Valencias poor play, but that is a cop out as Mallorca dominated the back and the midfield and stud strikers like Guiza finish their chances when his teammates play so well. That is why he is likely at a big club next year and not with us.

Ariel Ibagaza, my favorite Mallorca player, lead a team today that worked tirelessly from beginning to end. His control of the midfield lead to him taking a ball and passing into the area where Guiza calmly finished and put them up 1-0 after eleven minutes. They went up 2-0 after twenty minutes after a great free kick by Ramis over a wall beat a diving Valencia goalie. Valencia played well in spurts but after Guizas goal in minute 57 to make it 3-0 this game was over. Arango and Ibagaza continued to play great in midfield and the game was never in doubt although Mallorca probably could have won by a bigger margin. Overall one of their better performances and the kind of win I expected more frequently. I am sure Valencia fans are frustrated by these kinds of performances as well.

So where does this game leave us? We are now in 9th place with 40 points and just ahead of Valencia and a few others. We are 7 points clear of the drop zone and need to make up 6 more points to pass Almeria, Espanyol, and Sevilla to slide into 6th and grab a European spot. The Intertoto Cup might end up being a way for us to play into Europe as well. With two great wins over former top teams like Valencia and Deportivo, we are now pretty safe from the drop. Is Europe really possible? With 8 weeks left we must now see if we will push to pass the three teams above us or if we will just play out the string and finish mid table and wonder what could have been. Was the display today by Manzanos boys made under the pressure of relegation or was it the kind of performance based on the obvious talent this team has that will continue which might allow us to slip into Europe? I have seen too many ties and poor performances to think we can pass three decent teams in eight weeks, but it gives me reason to watch closely the next couple of weeks.

The sad thing is that with a performance like this, the big clubs will be looking even harder at our players. Guiza will be at a big club next year. Guitierrez will definitely be at a big club next year. Arango is a wildcard as he seems to come back to Mallorca every year despite some big clubs wanting him. How long will he show his loyalty before he leaves and gets European football? Ibagaza is a Mallorca player in his heart more then any of them. He played here, left, and then came back when he could have gone to another big club because he truly likes playing here and feels at home. He has the option to leave this summer and with his career winding down, he might decide to take a big offer and play for glory in Europe. His performance this whole year has been awesome and his talent could find him a starting spot on any European team in the world. These are just a few of the players that will have opportunities to leave next year that we need to keep.

I dont know if it is possible, but we need to hold on to all of these guys and add players. It is likely a couple will leave and we might get some others on loan, but that does not lead to continuity which keeps you from being as good as you can on a consistent basis. I know the money is tighter on a smaller club, but the moves made by management to get all these guys together for this year was brilliant. The expectations were huge and games like today against Valencia were what was expected more often then not. Instead its been a very mediocre year. So while I am happy with todays win, it is just a reminder that we didnt take advantage of a team that came to us by luck and smart moves. I expected better from Manzano this year, but I still want him as coach. Maybe we Mallorca fans should have higher expectations and called for his head two weeks ago.

Anyway, lets see if we can use this game to shift our focus away from relegation to UEFA Cup football. We have the talent to get to 6th but it will require some great play the rest of the way. If we make Europe, maybe all these players will return and we can add a couple of missing pieces. European football has shown so much parity that these guys need to think that if they are going to leave, it better be for an elite club or they are not necessarily improving their European chances. After todays performance, how can you want anyone to leave in the summer?